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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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62d Congress) 
3d Session { 



HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES 



[Document 
L No. 1472 



DAVID JOHNSON FOSTER 

( Late a Representative from Vermont ) 

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

I' SIXTY-SECOND CONGRESS 

THIRD SESSION ' ^ ; ^ i •■ / 3 



Proceedings in the House 
January 19, 1913 



Proceedings in the Senate 
March 1, 1913 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 




WASHINGTON 
1913 







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TABLE OF CONTENTS 



Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 5,7 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Greene, of Vermont 10 

Mr. Martin, of South Dakota 12 

Mr. Hawiey, of Oregon 14 

Mr. Nye, of Minnesota 18 

Mr. Weeks, of Massacliusetts 21 

Mr. Kahn, of California 23 

Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 25 

Mr. Slayden, of Texas 35 

Proceedings in the Senate 37 

Prayer by Rev. Ulysses G. R. Pierce, D. D 39 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Dillingham, of Vermont 41 

' Mr. Rurton, of Ohio 46 

Mr. Page, of Vermont 49 



[31 




HON. DAVID J^ FOSTER 



DEATH OF HON. DAVID JOHNSON FOSTER 



Proceedings in the House 

Friday, March 22, 1912. 
The House met at 12 o'clock noon. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Infinite and eternal Spirit, our heavenly Father, in 
whom we live and move and have our being, our faith 
looks up to Thee in this hour of sorrow and grief. Surely 
Thou givest life and taketh it away, not in death but in 
the larger life which awaits us all. A great sorrow has 
fallen into our hearts because one of our number has 
been taken away from us who for many years held a con- 
spicuous place in the committee room and on the floor 
of this House; strong, pure, aggressive, he served his 
State and Nation with untiring energy. Help us to keep 
his memory green and copy his virtues. Solace the 
bereaved family with the hopes and promises of a bright 
beyond when the voice which was music to their ears, the 
eyes which looked love into their hearts, and the strong 
arms which upheld and sustained them shall receive 
them once more in a realm where there are no separa- 
tions. " We are born for a higher destiny than that of 
earth. There is a realm where the rainbow never fades, 
where the stars will be spread out before us like the 
islands that slumber on the ocean, and where the beauti- 
ful beings that here pass before us like visions will stay 
in our presence forever." Thus may we believe; thus 
may we hope in the promises of the Master. Amen. 

[5] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

Mr. Plumley. Mr. Speaker, I offer the resolution which 
I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Vermont offers a 
resolution which will be reported by the Clerk. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow 
of the deatli of Hon. David J. Foster, a Representative from the 
State of Vermont. 

Resolved, That a committee of 10 Members of the House (with 
such Members of tlie Senate as may be joined) be appointed to 
attend tlie funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be authorized 
and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying 
out the provisions of these resolutions, and tliat the necessary 
expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent 
fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate, and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 

Mr. Plumley. Mr. Speaker, I have another resolution. 
The Speaker. The gentleman from Vermont offers a 
resolution which will be reported by the Clerk. 
The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 1 o'clock 
p. m.) the House, under the order heretofore agreed to, 
adjourned until Monday, March 25, 1912, at 12 o'clock 
noon. 



Monday, March 25, 1912. 
The Speaker announced as the committee to attend the 
funeral services of the late Hon. David J. Foster, a Rep- 
resentative from the State of Vermont, Mr. Sulzer, Mr. 
Plumley, Mr. McCall, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Roberts of Massa- 



[6] 



Proceedings in the House 



chusetts, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Fairchild, Mr. Cline, Mr. Taylor 
of Colorado, Mr. Harrison of Mississippi, and Mr. 
Linthicum. 

Saturday, August 17, 1912. 

Mr. Plumley, Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that on the third Sunday in January, 1913, there be 
services in memory of Hon. David J. Foster, late a Repre- 
sentative from Vermont. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from Vermont asks unani- 
mous consent that on the third Sunday in January, 1913, 
memorial services be held for the late Hon. Davu) J. 
Foster, of Vermont. Is there objection? 

There was no objection. 

Sunday, January 19, 1913. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to 
order by Mr. Cline as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered 
the following prayer : 

Eternal and everliving God, our heavenly Father, out 
of the deeps we cry unto Thee, " Our refuge and our 
strength, a very present help in trouble." We thank 
Thee for all the disclosures Thou has made of Thyself, 
which enables us to interpret the meaning of life and its 
far-reaching purposes; especially for that light which 
broke in splendor upon the world in the resurrection of 
the Christ, demonstrating the immortality of the soul and 
the unbroken continuity of life. We realize the fitness 
of this service in memory of one who served with dis- 
tinction upon the floor of this House and left behind him 
an enviable record as a statesman, a Christian gentleman, 
a warm-hearted friend, a faithful husband, a loving 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

father. Help us to cherish with his dear ones his memory, 
to copy his virtues, and leave behind us a record worthy 
of emulation; looking forward with bright anticipations 
to one of the Father's many mansions, where all the long- 
ings, hopes, and aspirations of our souls shall find their 
full fruition, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Clerk began the reading of the Journal of Satur- 
day, January 18, 1913. 

Mr. Plumley. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that the reading of the Journal be dispensed with. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ver- 
mont asks unanimous consent that the reading of the 
Journal be dispensed with. If there be no objection that 
request will be granted, and the Journal will be con- 
sidered as approved. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Chair lays before the 
House the order for to-day. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Plumley, by unanimous consent, 
Ordered, That Sunday, January 19, 1913, at 12 o'clock m., be 
set apart for addresses upon the life, character, and public 
services of Hon. David J. Foster, late a Representative from the 
State of Vermont. 

Mr. Greene of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, I offer the resolu- 
tion which I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The gentleman from Ver- 
mont offers a resolution, which the Clerk will report. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That in pursuance of the special order heretofore 
adopted, the House proceed to pay tribute to the memory of the 
Hon. David Johnson Foster, late a Representative in Congress 
from the State of Vermont. 



[8] 



Proceedings in the House 



Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased, and in recognition of his distinguished career and 
his great service to his country as a Representative in Congress, 
the House, at the conclusion of tlae memorial proceedings of this 
day, shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House communicate these reso- 
lutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House be, and he is hereby, 
instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to the family of the 
deceased. 



The resolution was agreed to. 



[9] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Greene, of Vermont 

Mr. Speaker: I need not suggest to you the peculiarly 
delicate situation of one who, now attempting to do jus- 
tice to the splendid merits of his predecessor, is himself 
just beginning to learn to live up to the record in Congress 
that his predecessor left. 

It is now nearly 13 years since the Hon. David J. Foster 
w^as chosen by his district to represent Vermont in Con- 
gress. I knew him some time before this honor came to 
him. And I knew him with something of intimacy dur- 
ing all the years since. I felt it was iny duty as a citizen 
and it was my pride as a friend to lend my voice and my 
vote to support his biennial return to this Chamber. And 
I was never disappointed in the return of public sei'vice 
that he made for citizens and friends alike. 

While at home in Vermont I knew pretty closely the 
character of Mr. Foster; had been associated with him 
time and again in important affairs that tended to bring 
out the best there is in a man. Yet it remained for my 
brief experience here to emphasize to me even more 
directly the opinion that other men had of him, too. I 
myself have been welcomed here by scores of men that 
sit in this Chamber merely out of grateful and affectionate 
recollection of my predecessor. I have been told that I 
was welcome in his name, and I appreciate the depth of 
feeling that has stirred them to this saying. He was one 
of the men of rugged character that grow out of the New 



[10] 



Address of Mr. Greene, of Vermont 

England hills. He made himself all that he was, and he 
was all that the best of his friends and admirers could 
expect. 

It does not become me to say too much on this occasion, 
because if I were to undertake to tell what I believe the 
people of Vermont and his associates in this Chamber 
thought of Mr. Foster and the great and good work he had 
accomplished or helped to accomplish for the good of the 
people at large I should simply reiterate the eulogies that 
are to be heard to-day. 

I desire simply to say, as the present Representative of 
Mr. Foster's district and as his personal friend, that Ver- 
mont w^as proud to feel that he was here to protect her 
interests and to help safeguard the interests of the Nation, 
and that his security in the confidence and affection of the 
people whose servant he was could not be broken. 

There is so much that 1 might say of Mr. Foster, so 
much that I do so eagerly desire to say of him and his 
good works, that I am halted now, not by disinclination, 
but by the embarrassment of one that fears he may not 
under these peculiar circumstances be understood. 

I may only hope that Vermont and that the country 
may always have here in this Congress men of such high 
purpose and splendid ability as David J. Foster, and that 
the ideals we all are striving for may find supporters in 
the kind of men that my predecessor most nobly rep- 
resented. 



[11] 



Address of Mr. Martin, of South Dakota 

Mr. Speaker: In the stress of legislative business it 
had not come to mj^ notice until last evening that these 
memorial exercises were set down for to-day. Under 
ordinary circumstances I would let an occasion of this 
sort pass, perhaps, but I have not felt that I would be 
willing to allow the memorial exercises of David J. Foster 
to pass in this House of Representatives without adding 
my heartfelt, although halting, tribute to his memory. 

It is not in any sense underestimating the warm attach- 
ment that I have for my colleagues from many States 
to say that, partly from circumstances and partly from 
the strong and winning personality of Mr. Foster, I 
formed for him a friendship more intimate than for any 
other Member of this body. 

We came into Congress at the same time, he from the 
far East and I from the West. We met first at the grave 
of the lamented William McKinley, during the funeral 
services at Canton, Ohio. I was then impressed with 
Mr. Foster's strong personality, his striking and attrac- 
tive appearance, his warm and cordial greeting to his 
fellows. The new Republican membership of the Fifty- 
seventh Congress formed what I have not known to be 
formed at any other time in the history of the House, a 
club or association of new Members of that Congress, 
known as the Tantalus Club, for the purpose of more 
prompt acquaintance of new Members among themselves, 
and of making the beginning of the legislative life of the 
new Members of greater service and of more ready appli- 
cation to the great problems of the time. Mr. Foster, if 
not the originator, certainly was the mover and the con- 



[12] 



Address of Mr. Martin, of South Dakota 

trolling spirit of that organization. We lived for some 
years in the same apartment house and I had the oppor- 
tunity of seeing him often in his home — that sanctuary 
and environment where a good man appears at his best 
and where the meanness and selfishness of the bad man 
is disclosed and known. There was nothing yellow in 
the life of David J. Foster. He was the solicitous and 
helpful parent, the courteous and affectionate husband, 
and the superb and gentlemanly neighbor and host. 

With great rapidity Mr. Foster rose from the position 
of a new Member to become the chairman of our Com- 
mittee on Foreign Affairs, one of the most responsible, 
dignified, and important positions in the House and, 
indeed, in the legislative and administrative life of the 
country; a position on the wise and intelligent adminis- 
tration of which our peace and standing among the 
nations in considerable part depends. 

Statecraft came naturally to Mr. Foster. Statesman- 
ship was his inheritance, his constant study, and his 
ample accomplishment. He belonged to that long line of 
great New Englanders, who for now several generations 
have come down froin the schoolhouse discipline of those 
rugged hills to take a prominent part in leadership in 
the industrial, legislative, and professional life of the 
Nation. 

So long as the Republic shall rear men of the type of 
David J. Foster to shape her legislation and to interpret 
and administer her laws, the future of our country will 
be in safe hands, and we may look forward with confi- 
dence to the fulfillment of her glorious destiny. 



[13] 



Address of Mr. Hawley, of Oregon 

Mr. Speaker: The most important factor in modern 
life is the unearned increment that those who have pre- 
ceded us on this stage of affairs have contributed to the 
general welfare and prosperity of the world, and which 
has added to the joys and happiness and comfort of those 
who shall succeed them for their advancement and up- 
building. In making an estimate of that distinguished 
man, Hon. David J. Foster, of Vermont, whose memorial 
services claim our attention this afternoon, I wish to 
speak briefly on this point. 

The material things — the building of great cities, the 
construction of vast systems of transportation, the con- 
quest of the wilderness and the plain by those who have 
preceded us — have multiplied our comforts and our op- 
portunities. The story of what the past has done for us 
of the present is a long story. There is hardly a century 
that has not contributed things which, if they were taken 
away from us, would be most sincerely missed and would 
be felt as a great loss to us as a people and as individuals. 
The political principles that we enjoy were not of this 
century, nor the past century, nor the century before 
that, but they have come down to us through tens of cen- 
turies. The educational advantages that have made the 
American people a great people were not altogether origi- 
nated within the confines of our territory. The religious 
sentiments which we profess, which have strengthened 
our moral fiber and made us a great people, come down 
the ages from far across the seas, and especially from that 
place where, on the Galilean hills, walked the divine and 
immortal Nazarene. 

[14] 



Address of Mr. Hawley, of Oregon 



But among all the things the past has given us its mate- 
rial contributions to our welfare are the least of the things 
we prize. If our cities were razed, our transportation 
systems destroyed, our farms returned to the wilderness, 
within a hundred years we would have replaced them all; 
but if there w ere taken from us the teaching of the centu- 
ries of earth's great and good men, the record of their 
lives, the sum total of their achievements, a thousand or 
many thousands of years would not suffice to replace that 
great loss. 

The thing I am endeavoring to say is that the greatest 
contribution ever made by any country or by our own 
country, by any generation or by this generation, is the 
characters of the men and women who have lived for the 
good of mankind. Every strong man is a leader in his 
place and time. Every man who can think clearly and 
see clearly is a leader, and upon the sufficiency of his 
knowledge, the soundness of his judgment, and the purity 
of his intentions depends the quality and strength of his 
leadership. 

There was a man down in the land of Egj^pt who was 
a stranger there, sold as a slave into that country, who, 
by reason of three things alone, rose to control the 
country, to its benefit and good; first, that his sense of 
personal honor was more to him than life; second, that 
he was untiring in his industry in the acquisition of infor- 
mation concerning the things in which he was concerned; 
and, third, that he had a judgment as sound and as 
perfect as that of any man who ever lived. That man 
was Joseph, a stranger in a strange land, but he con- 
trolled that country for that country's good, because he 
was worthy of its utmost confidence. 

I could multiply such instances. It is to such a class 
of men that the man in whose honor we are assembled 
to-day belonged. He was a leader by reason of the 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

adequacy of his knowledge concerning the things with 
which he dealt, by the soundness and clearness of his 
discernment and judgment, and because we had implicit 
confidence in him. Everything he spoke of, everything 
he touched, everything he said was illuminated with the 
light of that high personal honor that appeals to the 
hearts of men. What he said we believed. What he 
desired we thought for the good of the country. Those 
things he advocated we considered to be essential for the 
welfare of the people of the United States. 

Mr. Foster was a distinguished Member of this body 
when I had the privilege of joining it. There were 
certain qualities about him that attracted me to him at 
the beginning, and I learned sincerely to love him, and 
with the rest of my associates to follow his lead in those 
matters in which he was our appointed leader. I do not 
regret one act I took under his advice, one vote I cast 
following his judgment, or one thing I ever heard him 
say on the floor of this House. 

I remember wdien David J. Livingstone came back 
from Africa, worn with his long service to a benighted 
people. He was to receive from one of the greatest 
universities of England, in company with Alfred (Lord) 
Tennyson, a distinguished honor. When the university 
had been assembled and the authorities had taken these 
two men to the place of honor, and Alfred (Lord) 
Tennyson was called to the front of the stage to receive 
his distinction, he was met with somewhat of jeers by 
the assembled undergraduates, who made just a little 
sport of some of his pretensions, saying: 

If you're waking, call me early, Alfred, dear. 

When Livingstone was announced for the honor, a man 
whose whole life had been devoted to the service of 
mankind without hope of reward or expectation of 



[IG] 



Address of Mr. Hawley, of Oregon 



remuneration or honor, but simply for the opportunity 
of doing his duty as a man, that entire university rose 
and with uncovered heads, an honor rarely given, stood 
in solemn and reverent silence while he received his 
distinction. 

The greatest thing that mortal times afford is spotless 
reputation, and in these modern days, in the midst of 
the fierce light that beats around a distinguished place 
upon the floor of this House, it is gratifying to know that 
a man can close his labors among the universal plaudits 
of his fellows and can have it said country-wide and 
world-wide that his sense of personal honor was such 
that it gilded everything he touched. Such a life, Mr. 
Speaker, must have been well spent, David J. Foster 
was one of the men who in the future will be looked 
back to as those who have preserved for us the purity of 
our public life, has left a glorious record of an efficient 
service, and one who has proved that a man's private life 
may so adorn his public station that all will join in 
granting him the honor dear to every true man's heart — 
of loving and universal recollection. 



[17] 



Address of Mr. Nye, of Minnesota 

Mr. Speaker: Slowly, but I believe surely, humanity is 
learning that goodness is not only compatible with great- 
ness, but that goodness is greatness, and that there is no 
greatness without it. I have been deeply impressed with 
the beautiful train of thought so eloquently expressed by 
the last speaker, and I think it is a theme upon which we 
may properly comment on occasions of this character. 
We are the heirs of all the rich and wondrous past, and 
when I say " rich and wondrous past " I do not mean the 
riches which are temporal and which moth and rust cor- 
rupt, but I mean that enduring wealth of character to 
which we pay our respects to-day. Every martyr to truth, 
every hero, every philosopher, every poet, every artist, 
every musician of all the past ages comes to us to-day and 
lays his treasure of wealth at our feet. 

If an intimate personal acquaintance with the deceased 
were essential to take part on this occasion, I should be 
almost wholly disqualified to speak; but there are people 
we meet in this world whom we feel we have ahvays 
known. There is a soul fraternity which the outer world 
does not know. We catch the inspiration of the character 
and the atmosphere of the life intuitively. It is not scho- 
lastic or learned, but we read human character as we 
read a face. We feel, and no power can convince us to 
the contrary, that this man is genuine or the other man 
is largely spectacular and counterfeit. During four 
years as a colleague of this distinguished son of Vermont 
I always felt that I was in the presence of an upright, 
noble man, not only with the clear mind and the studious 
qualities which enabled him to understand his subject, 

[18] 



Address of Mr. Nye, of Minnesota 



but one whose life was animated and illumined by con- 
science and by enduring integrity. I believed in him in- 
tuitively. I knew that if he made a mistake it was a mis- 
take of judgment and not of motive. In the eloquent 
invocation here to-day he was referred to as a Chris- 
tian man. 

I believe with Carlyle that men are essentially what 
they are religiously and nothing else — not their church, 
that may be an accident; not their profession, for we see 
good men and bad men in every church and profession; 
but that which men take to heart, that in which they are 
rooted in life, that attitude of heart toward God and 
their fellow men — this determines the man, and without 
it he is a sham. And in this sense — and I know nothing 
about his history in that regard — he was in character, I 
know, profoundly and constitutionally religious, which 
simply means honesty, integrity, and reverence and love. 
I do not know that I can say more of him personally. I 
was not associated with him on committees. I saw him 
often here in the House. I had occasion during my four 
or five years' acquaintance with him to work with him in 
some of the measures in which he was personally and 
deeply interested, and I always felt a sense of confidence 
and reliance not alone upon his judgment but upon that 
which is greater, his integrity. 

Mr. Speaker, it so chances that in a brief experience of 
six years in this Chamber this is the first time I have 
attempted to utter a word upon occasions of this char- 
acter. I try only to speak in simple, unstudied w^ords that 
spring from the heart in kindly memory of one I esteemed 
and loved. 

I thought to-day, when I was coming up the hill to this 
Capitol, of the vast procession of illustrious men who 
for more than a century and a quarter have come and 



[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

gone, men who for a day stood high in ability and 
character, but I could not help but reflect after all how 
transitory are all things human. The things which are 
seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen — 
that is, by the physical senses — are the eternal. That 
character which this man expressed lives on to enrich 
the future as the worthy men of the past enrich to-day. 

How fleeting and how unsubstantial is human fame! 
How wealth turns to ashes in our hands and how the 
prizes we struggle for are but the toys of an hour! All 
must pass away. Childishly ambitious to-day to write 
our names upon the shore of time's restless sea, to-mor- 
row's waves will sweep away both writer and inscription. 
But that which is enduring, that which calls us here 
to-day to pay our tribute of love to this man, that which 
is born, I believe, of God and partakes of immortality, 
that which the Great Teacher of Galilee taught and 
demonstrated to humanity, that for which He toiled and 
suffered on earth, can not and will not pass away. 

These shall resist the empire of decay, 

When time is o'er and worlds have passed away. 

Cold in the dust the perished heart may lie. 

But that which warmed it once can never die. 



[20] 



Address of Mr. Weeks, of Massachusetts 

Mr. Speaker: New England is so limited in area and 
her interests in the several States are so similar that her 
Representatives have as close association in most cases 
as they would if they came from the same State. That 
condition at least marked my acquaintance with and 
friendship for Mr. Foster. He was one of those who in 
my first days in Congress took an interest in me and the 
things I was trying to do; advised and criticized and 
praised when the occasion offered, in short assumed the 
position of a real friend, and it is as such that I like to 
think of and shall always remember him. I soon learned 
that he was well equipped for the public service. He was 
a good lawyer, which, despite the frequent criticism that 
there are too many la^vyers in legislative bodies, is a de- 
sirable qualification, which should always be considered 
and obtained, other conditions being equal; and this quali- 
fication was supplemented by a judicial temperament 
which enabled him to give suitable weight to the opinions 
of others and to incorporate them in his final conclusions. 
Added to these characteristics, he was industrious; no 
man can be entirely satisfactory to his constituents, what- 
ever may be his other qualities, unless he has industry; 
and, finally, he was intensely interested in his work. 
Having all of these qualities, coupled with excellent 
native ability, it was but natural that his tenure of office 
should have seemed to be secure, especially as he came 
from a State which has been particularly loyal to faithful 
and deserving sons who have represented her in Congress. 
Indeed, there are few places in our public service more 
permanent than a Senatorship or Representative from 

[21] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

Vermont. For two decades vacancies in the office of 
Senator from that State have only come as a result of 
death or resignation. It is not my purpose to speak in 
detail of Mr. Foster's public service, except a word about 
his last activities. One of his characteristics was that he 
did not seem to have malice or continued resentment in 
his make-up; this led him to speak of men only when he 
could speak well of them; and he had a gracious courtesy, 
both qualities which especially adapted him for the deli- 
cate work of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, of which 
he was long a member, and for one Congress its chair- 
man. During this service he not only performed his work 
in Congress with great credit, but was also commissioned 
to represent our Government to two foreign countries — 
Mexico and Italy — as a member of commissions ap- 
pointed for special purposes, and we may well believe 
that in this work he displayed those qualities " which 
transmutes aliens into trusting friends and gives its 
owner passport around the world." 

Last March I went to Panama knowing that he was not 
well, but was assured that his trouble was only tem- 
porary, and expecting to find him entirely recovered on 
my return, and was correspondingly shocked to find that 
he had passed on to his reward. 

I shall not forget David J. Foster, the able legislator, 
the loyal Republican, the upright citizen, the true friend, 
and I greatly regret that these words so inadequately 
express my sincere sorrow at his untimely death and the 
deep sense of personal loss which I feel. 



[22] 



Address of Mr. Kahn, of California 

Mr. Speaker : The mortality record of the present Con- 
gress has been exceptionally large. I believe 16 Members 
of this House have answered the final summons since the 
Sixty-second Congress was convened in extraordinary 
session. To-day we meet in solemn conclave to pay a 
tribute of respect to one of these, our late colleague the 
Hon. David Johnson Foster, of Vermont. He had a large 
experience in public life. For many years honors were 
heaped upon him by his friends and neighbors in his 
native State. His rise from one public station to another 
was almost meteoric. No man who failed to possess the 
unqualified confidence of his constituency could have 
attained the honors that were bestowed upon him. Suc- 
cessively prosecuting attorney. State senator, commis- 
sioner of State taxes, chairman of the State board of rail- 
road commissioners from 1886 to 1900; and in the latter 
year he was elected to the National House of Representa- 
tives. Here his splendid ability soon found recognition. 
His courteous manner, his knowledge of affairs, his indus- 
try, his absolute fairness at all times, and especially upon 
every momentous public question, gained for him the 
esteem and confidence of all his colleagues, regardless 
of political affiliation. As chairman of the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs he was called upon to take an active part 
in the settlement of grave questions of international rela- 
tionship. He performed the duties that devolved upon 
him fearlessly, earnestly, honestly, patriotically. 

And in the very prime of life, in the very vigor of man- 
hood, he was suddenly stricken by the Grim Reaper. 



[23] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

The news of his death was a severe shock to all those who 
had learned to know and esteem him. In his death they 
felt they had lost a sincere friend. They knew his State 
and the Nation had lost an able and faithful Representa- 
tive, his family an affectionate and devoted husband and 
father. Peace to his ashes. 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 

Mr. Speaker: David Johnson Foster, son of Jacob 
Prentiss Foster and Matilda Gaboon Foster, was born in 
Barnet, Caledonia County, Vt., June 27, 1857, and died 
8.30 p. m., Thursday, March 21, 1912, at his residence in 
Washington. 

He was a slender youth, of delicate health, having 
neither ability nor liking for the rough sports of his 
young comrades, but from early boyhood he was an 
omnivorous reader, and found his glad employment 
among his books, a pastime which he indulged late into 
the night. He obtained his early education in a district 
school of 24 weeks each year; during the remainder of 
the 3^ear he aided his father upon the farm, and while 
school was in progress his mornings and evenings were 
similarly employed. Meanwhile he seized every avail- 
able means to store up useful knowledge. Fortunately 
for the lad, the father was a great lover of good literature, 
and surrounded himself, to the extent of his financial 
ability, with the means for indulging his tastes, and to 
these the boy had access. 

While his comrades played ball and games of that 
character, he sat at home an eager student. He entered 
St. Johnsbury Academy in the fall of 1872, graduated in 
1876, entered Dartmouth that fall, and graduated in 1880. 
While attending the academy he worked for his board, 
received such aid as the father, mother, and other 
members of the family could give him, and supplemented 
their aid by teaching school. During his college life he 
taught school in the winter, gained scholarships by 



[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

studious application, tutored students in the lower classes, 
won money prizes in elocution, and trained his associates 
in prize speaking. It was while teaching at Chelsea, Vt., 
that he made the acquaintance of his future wife, Mabel 
M. Allen, of that town. 

From college he went immediately to Burlington, Vt., 
to read law, was admitted to the Chittenden County court 
in 1883, began the practice of law at once in the city of 
Burlington, and was married during the year. He was 
elected prosecuting attorney for the county of Chittenden 
for two terms— 1886 to 1890; in 1890 to 1894 he was one 
of the State senators from that county; was State tax 
commissioner by appointment of the governor for four 
years — 1894 to 1898; chairman of the railroad commis- 
sioners of the State of Vermont, by appointment of the 
governor, from 1898 to 1900, and in the spring of 1900 was 
nominated to the Fifty-seventh Congress and elected that 
fall. His first committee assignments were those of For- 
eign Affairs, Claims, and Expenditures in the State 
Department. He held similar committee positions in the 
Fifty-eighth Congress, also the Committee on Labor. He 
retained a position on the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
throughout his congressional career. He was made chair- 
man of the Committee on Expenditures in the Depart- 
ment of Commerce and Labor in the Fifty-ninth Congress, 
which position he held until, following the death of the 
chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, James 
Brock Perkins, during the Sixty-first Congress, he was 
appointed by the Speaker to the chairmanship thus made 
vacant, when he resigned his position upon the Committee 
on Commerce and Labor. In the Sixty-second Congress, 
there being a Democratic majority in the House, he was 
given the position of the ranking member of the minority 
in the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 



[26] 



Address of Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 

In September, 1910, by the appointment of the Presi- 
dent, he headed the delegation which represented this 
country at the Centennial of Mexican Independence, and 
during his service as chairman of the Committee on For- 
eign Affairs he was made chairman by President Taft of 
the delegation from the United States to the General 
Assembly of the International Institute of Agriculture at 
Rome. During the winter of 1910-11 he gave a banquet 
in honor of the Secretary of State, which was a most 
brilliant and successful affair. 

On the 16th of January, 1907, he delivered a speech in 
the House of Representatives on the treaty power of the 
Government, which was regarded by his colleagues as a 
most able and successful effort, of large value in the dis- 
cussion of the questions then pending, and important in 
the House and throughout the United States. In the 
course of this speech he spoke of the intense State pride 
which had charact :rized the American people from the 
very Declaration of Independence, saying: 

It was written of old " that one star differeth from another 
star in glory," and it certainly was never truer than it is to-day 
that the stars that on the blue firmament of the flag represent 
the several States of the Union ditter one from another in glory. 
You who come here from the State of New York insist that the 
star which represents your Empire State shines with a glory that 
is all its own; and we who come from the little State that lies 
nestled among the Green Mountains insist that the star which 
represents our State has a glory that is peculiarly its own; and 
so you who come from Virginia and Pennsylvania and Texas 
and Illinois and California and all the other States insist the 
star which on the flag represents your State has its own peculiar 
glory. And so to-day, as ever before, the citizens of each of 
the 45 States are proud of their State. They rejoice in her 
achievements in peace and war. They guard with zealous care 
her ancient rights and privileges. They resent with just indig- 
nation any reflection upon her her fame. They rejoice in the 
part vouchsafed to them in maintaining her honor and prestige; 



[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

and, best of all, they see in all this nothing incompatible with 
their absolute and unswerving loyalty and devotion to the 
Republic. 

He concluded his speech with the eloquent passage 
which follows : 

From the days of Benjamin Franklin, our first and still our 
greatest diplomat, the American "people have insisted that our 
foreign relations should be grounded in the highest morality 
and justice. Our foreign relations have become one of the 
most important functions of the Government. Our own growth 
and expansion during the last hundred years, and the contrac- 
tion of the world through the extinction of distance, have 
brought the nations of the earth to our door and have taken us 
to their door. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are con- 
stantly in foreign lands. They are there for business, for pleas- 
ure. In addition to the tourists who come to our country from 
other lands we have a million immigrants per year. These 
people leave kindred and friends at home and form new friend- 
ships here. Hundreds of thousands of them return each year, 
leaving kindred and friends here. Our vast foreign commerce 
brings us into contact with the other nations of the earth, for 
the products of our field and our factory go to nearly every 
harbor in the world. And so it comes to pass in these days of 
modern development and modern enterprise and modern inven- 
tion and modern unification that no nation lives unto itself 
alone. Our diplomacy has assumed new proportions. And in 
all her foreign relations the great Republic, standing for equality 
of opportunity, must continue to shape her conduct by the prin- 
ciples of the highest morality and justice. 

On Friday, February 25, 1910, he replied in the House 
to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr, Kitchin] 
upon the subject of Mr. Foster's insurgency in connection 
wdth others. During the course of his remarks he said: 

It is an axiomatic fact that in popular government, wherever 
situated, the majority must rule. It is the fundamental principle 
of popular government that the minority must submit to the 
rule of the majority so long as it remains the majority. So I, as 
an American citizen, am bound to yield peacefully to the will of 



[28] 



Address of Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 

the majority so long as that majority remains. But while this 
is true, it is also true that it is my right and privilege as an 
American citizen and my duty as an American citizen, if I believe 
that the majority is wrong and that I am right, to use my best 
endeavors to see that the minority of to-day becomes the majority 
of to-morrow. 

So it is with parties. Political parties are necessary in this 
country. We are governed by political parties. And in order to 
secure party solidarity and therefore party efficiency it is equally 
necessary that the majority should rule within the party; that 
the minority yield peacefully to the will of the majority so long 
as it remains the majority. But while this is true it is equally 
true that' I, as a member of my party and still an American 
citizen, have the right and privilege and the duty, if I believe 
that I am right and the majority of my party is wrong, to use 
my best endeavors to see to it that my minority within my party 
to-day becomes the majority of to-morrow. It is this that gives 
vitality and virility to parties and preserves them from stagnation. 
Old ocean itself would stagnate into rottenness but for the cease- 
less action of the remorseless waves and tides. 

I resent the implication that a Republican who shows the least 
inclination toward independence is an insurgent. Lincoln 
expressed the true doctrine of republicanism in the phrase: 
"In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, 
charity." I stand for party unity as to all essentials, and I insist 
that I shall not be called opprobrious names when I stand for 
individual freedom as to nonessentials. 

Mr. Foster addressed the House on the occasion of 
memorial services on the death of Hon. Redfield Proctor, 
late United States Senator from Vermont, and as illus- 
trative of his finished style of oratory I quote a portion 
of his closing remarks on that occasion : 

He was a typical son of his native State. The jocular remark 
made years ago, that Vermont was a good State to emigrate from, 
contained a great truth. That is a good home for the young man 
to go out from whose choicest decorations are the simple but 
enduring virtues of human life. Whether that home be a costly 
mansion stored with the rarest productions of art and the 
handiwork of man, or a humble cottage furnishing scant pro- 



[29] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Foster 

tection against the winter blasts, the recollection of its faith and 
love and devotion will go with him farther and abide with him 
longer and be of infinitely more service to him than aught else 
he can take with him. And that is a good State to go out from 
whose cardinal principles are the simple but profound truths of 
human life and human relationship, and whose citizens see in 
their State the ancient torch of celestial fire handed down from 
generation to generation and by them to be passed on unimpaired 
to the generation yet to come. From its earliest history Vermont 
has been the cradle of human freedom. The sturdy pioneers who 
went thither in search of homes fell under the most potent spell 
of nature. 

The wild freedom of the forest, the rugged strength of the hills, 
the beauty of the valleys, and the fierce struggle with savagery 
developed within them that stern love of liberty, that resolute 
independence, and that profound respect for government and 
all the instrumentalities of human progress which have charac- 
terized the true sons of Vermont in all succeeding time. And he 
was one of those true sons. He loved her hills and valleys. He 
cherished her history, her traditions, her institutions, her achieve- 
ments. He was jealous of her good name and fair fame, and 
throughout his long life his heart beat true to her every interest. 
He honored the State as the State honored him, and no higher 
tribute can be paid to his memory than the simple truth that the 
State is better by reason of his life, his character, his career. 

June 27, 1857; March 21, 1912. Birth— death. Between 
these two events a genuine and striking life history may 
be written. It will be the truth, but it shall read like a 
romance. It is elementary in that it deals with the 
triumph of resolute will, untiring zeal, and inflexible 
purpose over poverty, obscurity, and countless formida- 
ble obstacles. It tells of his ceaseless efforts to advance, 
while it reveals, if closely scanned, the willing and loving 
sacrifice and service of a devoted family that they might 
promote the aspirations of a beloved son and brother. 

Between these two dates there is the history of one 
whose life was much more than usually successful in 
what it brought to him and much more than commonly 



[30] 



Address of Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 

valuable in what it did for his fellows and his country, 
and yet a few wholly inadequate paragraphs must con- 
tain all that can be said here. How greatly the heart 
feels; how little the tongue can express! 

As the years of his life ran on he climbed with willing 
feet the more rugged steeps, and from those exalted plains 
breathed a purer air and had a broader, clearer vision. 
He loved his countrj'^ and his State with a depth and qual- 
ity of affection that permitted no rival, while it marked 
the limits, set the bounds, and laid out the course of his 
political afTiliations and activities. 

More and more as the days ripened into years and the 
years sped on he was developing a statesmanlike grasp 
of all national problems. Conscious of a high purpose 
throughout and with a developing confidence in his ability 
to rightly comprehend and settle the great questions of 
state, the natural hesitancy of the novice had disappeared 
and there was a promptness in conclusion, a readiness of 
action, a steadfastness of position which gave him promi- 
nence in party councils and a place of honor among his 
colleagues. 

He was a loyal friend. He counted nothing as too great 
a hardship if in the end it served and pleased a friend. 
And his friends were not few. The warm hand of con- 
stancy and regard went out alike to the humble and the 
exalted, the rich and the poor. Born and bred in a home 
of limited means, among neighbors of like circumstances, 
he was destitute of ostentatious pride or affectation, and 
knowing the genuine worth of these sons and daughters of 
toil, was glad always to render them generous service and 
to knit them closely to his great, warm heart. He had a 
passion for service to his fellow men and delighted most 
when he could yield most of his time and talent in ad- 
vancing their interests, in promoting their welfare. 



[31] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

He was ready always to serve another regardless of the 
personal labor and sacrifice which the service involved; 
he even sought the opportunity to befriend others, espe- 
cially such as were new to their position and embarrassed 
by the wealth of their ignorance in the performance of 
their duties. He was discreet and tactful, and, while vig- 
orously defending his positions, spoke and acted in such a 
manner and in such language as not to offend but rather 
to win his opponent, if not to his view at least to a full 
appreciation of his worth and worthiness as an antagonist. 
He won all by his manly and courteous bearing, and when 
death came it was to a man who, true to his convictions as 
any knight of old, had not an enemy. On the day follow- 
ing his decease, when his draped desk announced at the 
morning hour the sad tidings to his associates in Congress, 
all hearts were sad, and many eyes were moist with un- 
shed but gathering tears as they looked upon his vacant 
seat. No man ever passed out in death from the Hall of 
this House with fewer enemies or more sincere and 
mourning friends. 

He was not a frequent speaker in this Hall, but when 
he spoke he commanded the attention of his colleagues 
to an unusual degree. He spoke only when he deemed 
speech more potent than silence. From the beginning to 
the end of his congressional career he was a hard-work- 
ing, painstaking, honorablp, and efficient Representative 
of his district, with augmenting confidence in his resource- 
fulness and capacity on the part of his colleagues and 
increasing faith in his character and worth on the part of 
his constituents. 

His ability as an orator on great occasions upon matters 
of world-wide bearing and importance, of grave character 
and deep significance, had only begun to be generally 
appreciated; and yet he had spoken in most of our cities 
of the first class to large, admiring, and appreciative 

[32] 



Address of Mr. Plumley, of Vermont 

audiences with a demonstrated power to touch these great 
themes before vast assemblies with the potent hand of a 
master. 

From his appointment as chairman of the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs to the end of his Hfe he was easily in 
the very front rank of the membership of the House, 
possessing the respect and enjoying the regard of all 
his colleagues, irrespective of party, to an unusual, even 
to a remarkable, degree; and when with inexpressible 
shock and sadness the knowledge came to them that his 
earthly career had closed, the depth, breadth, and warmth 
of the affection with which he was enshrined in their 
hearts was revealed to them in its completeness. 

He had not reached but he was steadily approaching 
the zenith of his career as a statesman. His life had been, 
and without question it would have continued to be, one 
of constant growth in character, in gathering resources, 
in mental strength and acumen, in increasing faith in his 
own powers coupled with a steadily growing conviction 
on the part of the citizens of his native State that in him 
they had one in high place worthy of unlimited trust and 
confidence. 

His was a manly spirit — virile, pervasive, indomitable. 
It was manifest in his early boyhood when, struggling 
against adverse conditions, he broke through his repres- 
sive environments and by his own well-directed efforts 
acquired a liberal education, the goal of his early ambi- 
tion. It has been manifest since on many noteworthy 
occasions when battling against strong contending and 
opposing influences he has risen above them or has over- 
come them, has illuminated despair with the bright beam 
of hope, and out of seeming defeat has plucked unques- 
tioned victory. 

His was a noble soul, lofty, inflexible, and inspired. 
He dared to attempt great things, to rise that he might 

93285°— 13 3 [33] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

seize great opportunities, and, measured by things accom- 
plished, there are few of his compeers who show larger 
or better results. Grand, indeed, was the course which 
lay before him. It was no easy task to set limitations 
to his increasing power, honor, and usefulness. It was in 
the effulgence of a risen sun that his manly, noble life 
went out, and we who were his comrades and his friends 
are left to mourn his untimely death. 

By the few to whom he gave access to his innermost 
being, where they could catch the faintest throbs of his 
warm, true heart, there was abiding faith and fervent 
love. They who knew him best loved him most. These 
are the mourners who find no surcease. His memory 
reigns eternal in their breasts. His widow and his 
daughters, his aged mother, and his near kin — deep and 
sad is their bereavement. The chords of human sym- 
pathy yield plaintive and tender music when touched by 
the hand of affliction, and God in infinite love will be 
their " shield and buckler." 

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
who desire be granted leave to print remarks in the 
Record for 20 legislative days. 

There was no objection, and it was so ordered. 

And then, in accordance with the resolution heretofore 
adopted, the House (at 1 o'clock and 10 minutes p. m.) 
adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, January 20, 1913, 
at 12 o'clock noon. 



[34] 



Address of Mr. Slayden, of Texas 

Mr. Speaker: The most important of all recent move- 
ments in the interest of mankind at large is that which 
seeks to suhstitute the rule of reason for the rule of brute 
force in the settlement of international disputes. The 
man who makes it possible to avoid war is not acclaimed 
with the same vigor that greets the victor in battle, but 
his service to humanity is immeasurably greater. Under 
our peculiar and .irrational system, which hurries to erect 
statues to those who slay, while it fails to recognize those 
who preserve life, the man who does the best work rarely 
gets a proper reward in this world. His treasures are laid 
up in heaven. 

One of the most sincere and effective workers in the 
cause of peace was David J. Foster, of Vermont. It was 
my good fortune to be intimately associated with him in 
unselfish endeavors to develop friendship — real, sincere 
friendship — between this and other American countries, 
not the perfunctory, formal, diplomatic exchanges that 
usually pass for friendship, and no one ever worked with 
more zeal and earnestness in any cause than he did in 
that. 

His untimely death arrested a career that gave promise 
of unusual usefulness in that important work. As chair- 
man of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Mr. Foster was 
chosen to head the envoys from Congress to Mexico on the 
occasion of the hundredth anniversaiy of the separation 
of that country from Spain. He discharged the delicate 
duties of that important mission in such a way as to 
command the respect and earn the regard of all the for- 
eign otficials with whom he came in contact. After his 



[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

death I received letters from Mexican officials and private 
citizens expressing profound sorrow that the career of one 
whom they called friend had been closed. 

One of the greatest pleasures and most distinct advan- 
tages of service in Congress is the opportunity for meeting 
and knowing one's fellow^ citizens from other parts of the 
country. It broadens the life of every man who has such 
service. It makes him more tolerant of differences of 
opinion. It makes him understand that many of the 
prejudices caused by environment and the conditions 
which surrounded him in youth were not entirely 
justified. That, at least, has been the effect of such 
service on me. 

Mr. Foster was a typical Yankee. My birth and resi- 
dence for a lifetime in the far South make me, I suppose, 
a typical southerner. Yet in most matters — in, I may say, 
all the things that are really worth while — I could see no 
difference between him and any honest, truthful, peace- 
loving gentleman of my own section. He was a big- 
hearted, clear-headed, patriotic American, who loved his 
country and earnestly longed for its proper development 
while he remained a stout partisan, in all of which there 
is absolutely no inconsistency. 

Vermont has had many wise and patriotic Representa- 
tives on the floor of this House, among them Matthew 
Lyon, Jacob Collamer, and Justin S. Morrill, but none 
among them ever gave more patriotic and unselfish 
service than David Foster, and none deserved to live 
longer in our legislative history as a man whose stand- 
ards were high and whose effort was to live up to that 
standard. More can not be asked of anv man. 



[36] 



Proceedings in the Senate 

Friday, March 22, 1912. 

A message from the House of Representatives, by D. K. 
Hempstead, its enrolling clerk, communicated to the Sen- 
ate the intelligence of the death of Hon, David J. Foster, 
late a Representative from the State of Vermont, and 
transmitted resolutions of the House thereon. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays before the Senate 
resolutions of the House of Representatives, which will be 
read. 

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. David J. Foster, a Representative from the 
State of "Vermont, 

Resolved, That a committee of 10 Members of tlie House, with 
such Members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to 
attend the funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant at Arms of the House be author- 
ized and directed to take sucli steps as may be necessary for 
carrying out the provisions of these resokitions, and that the 
necessary expenses in connection therewith be paid out of the 
contingent fund of tlie House. 

Resolved, That tlie Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect this House do now 
adjourn. 

Mr. Dillingham. Mr. President, I submit the resolutions 
which I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. 

The Vice President. The resolutions offered by the 
Senator from Vermont will be read. 



[37] 



jNIemorial Addresses : Representative Foster 

The Secretary read the resolutions (S. Res. 259), as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the 
announcement of the dcatli of Hon. David J. Foster, late a Rep- 
resentative from the State of Vermont. 

Resolved, That a committee of nine Senators be appointed by 
the Vice President to join the committee appointed on the part of 
the House of Representatives to take order for superintending the 
funeral of the deceased at Burlington, Vt. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the 
family of the deceased. 

The resolutions were considered by unanimous consent, 
and unanimousl}^ agreed to. 

The Vice President appointed, under the second reso- 
lution, as the committee on the part of the Senate Mr. 
Dillingham, Mr. Page, Mr. Gallinger, Mr. Lodge, Mr. Ray- 
ner, Mr. Burton, Mr. Jones, Mr. Percy, and Mr. Thornton. 

Mr. Dillingham. As a further mark of respect to the 
memory of the deceased, I move that the Senate adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 4 
o'clock and 36 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
Monday, March 25, 1912, at 2 o'clock p. m. 

Thursday, February 13, WIS. 

Mr. Page. Mr. President, I wish to give notice that on 
March 1, 1913, I will ask the Senate to consider resolutions 
commemorative of the life and public character of David 
J. Foster, late a Representative in Congress from the 
State of Vermont. 

The President pro tempore. The notice will be entered. 



[38] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Saturday, March i, 1913. 
The Senate met at 10 o'clock a. m. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered 
the following prayer : 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for 
the gracious Providence which brings us to this day of 
solemn and reverent memory. As we recall the life and 
public service of him whom we this day commemorate, 
we pray Thee to inspire our minds and to give utterance 
to our lips that we may fitly honor the life which Thou 
hast called to Thy nearer presence and to Thy higher 
service. 

We pray Thee, our Father, to comfort those that mourn. 
Uphold them by Thy heavenly grace and grant that 
neither the height of remembered joys nor the depth of 
sorrows that can not be forgotten, nor the present with 
its burdens nor the future with its loneliness may be able 
to separate them from the love of God which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord. 

In the name of Him who abolished death and brought 
life and immortality to light, hear Thou our prayer. 
Amen. 

Mr. Gallinger took the chair as President pro tempore 
under the previous order of the Senate. 

The Secretary proceeded to read the Journal of yester- 
daj^'s proceedings, when, on request of Mr. Smoot and by 
unanimous consent, the further reading was dispensed 
with and the Journal w^as approved. 

Mr. Dillingham. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay 
before the Senate resolutions from the House of Repre- 
sentatives on the death of the late Representative Foster. 

The President pro tempore (Mr. Gallinger) . The Chair 
lays before the Senate resolutions from the House of Rep- 
resentatives, which will be read. 

[39] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

The Secretaiy read the resolutions, as follows : 

In the House of Representatives, 

January 19, 1913. 

Resolved, That in pursuance of the special order lieretofore 
adopted the House proceed to pay tribute to the memory of the 
Hon. DAvm Johnson Foster, late a Representative in Congress 
from the State of Vermont. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
•the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished career and 
his great service to his country as a Representative in Congress 
the House, at the conclusion of the memorial proceedings of this 
day, shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House communicate these 
resolutions to the Senate. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House be, and he is hereby, 
instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to the family of 
the deceased. 

Mr. Dillingham. Mr. President, I offer the resolutions 
which I send to the desk, and ask for their adoption. 

The President pro tempore. The Senator from Vermont 
offers resolutions which will be read. 

The resolutions (S. Res. 495) were read, considered by 
unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate expresses its profound sorrow on 
account of the death of the Hon. David J. Foster, late a Member 
of the House of Representatives from the State of Vermont. 

Resolved, That the business of the Senate be now suspended in 
order that fitting tribute may be paid his high character and 
distinguished public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives and to the family 
of the deceased. 



[40] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Dillingham, of Vermont 

Mr. President: Nearly a year has passed since death 
summoned from our midst Vermont's Representative 
from the first congressional district and closed the earthly 
career of David Johnson Foster. The announcement of 
his death, so sudden and unexpected, came as a distinct 
shock to his friends everywhere, and particularly to his 
associates in Congress, among whom the critical nature 
of his illness had not been known. From all classes came 
expressions of personal sorrow and the deepest sympathy 
for the stricken ones in the delightful home which he had 
so recently established in this city. Consternation, regret, 
and a keen sense of loss followed in the cities, in the 
villages, and on the farms of Vermont. The people of 
the State he had loved so well and had so faithfully and 
proudly served were his devoted friends and admirers. 

But time, with her softening influences, has somewhat 
m^odified the first effects of the shock, and now we are 
able to look back with some degree of calmness upon 
the life of our friend and are better able to judge of those 
elements in his character which gave him such a charm- 
ing personality and which served to advance him so sig- 
nally in the profession of his choice as well as in the 
public life to which his people called him. 

Even a casual meeting with Mr. Foster was a delight. 
His courtesy and amiability, coupled with bright men- 
tality and quick responsiveness, gave no suggestion of the 
real struggle through which he had achieved success at 

[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

the bar and which had pecuHarly fitted him for the long 
public service during which he had won a most conspicu- 
ous position in the councils of the Nation. And j^et 
underneath lay hidden a life brimming with ambitions 
but subject to many discouragements, of many brilliant 
accomplishments and some disheartening defeats; but 
through all, from childhood until death, there was always 
in evidence a calm, steady purpose and firm determina- 
tion to succeed and an industry combined with a courage 
and persistence against which obstacles only served as 
a challenge to greater endeavor. 

The record of David J. Foster's life would make a 
stimulating story of the step-by-step process by which 
men reach high positions in the world's work when their 
undertakings are properly inspired and directed by 
honest ambition, accompanied by earnest, well-directed 
efforts. 

Mr. Foster was born on a farm in the town of Barnet, 
neither blessed nor cursed by riches. His was the life 
of the boys in the rural districts of our mountainous 
State, where they are important factors, learning at an 
early date that labor is both necessary and honorable, 
that good character is as essential as is capital in 
business, and that under our free institutions the avenues 
to success and distinction are open to all who are worthy 
to attain them. He was essentially a New England 
product and had these principles instilled by precept 
and example, in the development of which the little red 
schoolhouse and the old New England academy did their 
full part. To the education thus secured was added a 
college course at Dartmouth, from which institution he 
was graduated in 1880. It was distinctly to his advantage 
that in acquiring this educational attainment he was com- 
pelled to rely upon his own resources, and that in his 
subsequent study of the law he w^as likewise obliged to 

[42] 



Address of Mr. Dillingham, of Vermont 

rely upon his own resources to meet his expenses, how- 
ever much they were reduced by rigid economy. Each 
effort gave him greater strength to meet the one that 
follow^ed. Each achievement gave him greater confidence 
in his ability to win still greater victories, and so, in the 
practice of his profession, which he follow^ed in the city 
of Burlington, this process went on, and he quickly took 
high rank as a law^^er and grew in power and influence as 
a citizen. 

Time wall not permit an estimate of his work, either 
in his profession or any of the positions which he so 
acceptably filled, and I must confine myself to saying that 
he was early recognized as not only well grounded in the 
principles of the law, a safe counselor, but also a forceful 
practitioner. In short, he exemplified that excellent 
definition of a lawyer — " a gentleman learned in the 
law." Twice he was elected State's attorney for the 
county of Chittenden. His tastes led him into political 
life, and his ability was soon so marked that he was called 
from his county to serve as a senator in the General 
Assembly of Vermont, as one of the board of railroad 
commissioners of that State, and later as commissioner of 
State taxes. 

He so creditably acquitted himself in all these positions 
that in 1900 the people of Vermont's first congressional 
district chose him to represent them in the National 
House of Representatives. For 12 years he served them 
with a rare fidelity. Among his associates he was con- 
sidered a man of culture and intelligence, of sound judg- 
ment and individuality of action, and w^as much appre- 
ciated for his charming personal qualities. Not seeking 
the glare of the limelight, he gradually but surely 
advanced in usefulness and influence in the work of the 
House. While he looked sharply after the needs of his 
State and district and was unsparing of himself in the 

[43] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

interests of his constituents, he found time to give atten- 
ti6n to other things and grappled with broad problems 
not limited to the borders of his State or even to our 
national boundaries — he studied international questions. 

It was his good fortune early in his service to be placed 
upon the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in the ripe- 
ness of his experience and knowledge became its 
chairman, being regarded as one of the leaders in that 
great body which represents in a special sense the " rank 
and file " of the citizenship of the Nation, Because of 
this he was on more than one occasion chosen as the 
representative of the United States at noteworthy cele- 
brations of international character. He became a much- 
traveled man, well versed on questions involving our 
relations with foreign Governments. He was a strong 
advocate of international peace, and was much sought 
as a speaker on this and kindred subjects. 

Mr. Foster became a Member of the House at about the 
time I entered the Senate. We had been friends at the 
bar of Vermont; we became better friends here. Twelve 
years of companionship developed only the most agree- 
able relations. During that entire period I recall no in- 
stance, no suggestion, of any serious difference of opinion 
between us. We advised freely concerning all matters of 
common interest, candidly discussed every problem which 
presented itself, looking always to harmony and unity of 
action, in which we never failed. 

The last time I met him was at a meeting of the Ver- 
mont delegation, called to devise methods best calculated 
to protect Vermont's great dairy interests. He was unusu- 
ally quiet and reserved, and impressed me as being weary 
and worn, but protested that he was not out of health. 
He returned to his home, and my next knowledge was 
that he was seriously, though not dangerously ill. Re- 
peated inquiries brought assurances that time only was 



[44] 



Address of Mr. Dillingham, of Vermont 

necessary to restore him to his accustomed vigor, and then 
came the end — sudden, as it was unexpected, and a life 
full of kind and genial as well as strong qualities was lost 
to the world. 

It is due to the memory of our friend and to those he 
most tended}^ loved, that I should say in closing that, not- 
withstanding the disciplinary experiences to which I have 
alluded, as fundamental factors in the development of 
the character of Mr, Foster, I am of the opinion that the 
great moral qualities he possessed, without the modifying 
influences of which he could not, however strong, have 
reached the distinction which will stand the test of time 
and criticism, were fostered in him by an ideal home life. 
Hardly ever have I observed more delightful domestic 
relations. To wife and daughters he ever gave freely of 
his love and sympathy, devotion and service, and in their 
reciprocal love and sympathy he received inspiration to 
lofty thought and noble action, without which his work 
would have fallen far short of what it was. 

To-day his loved ones mourn the loss of one who to 
them was everything good implied in the term husband 
and father. Vermont mourns the loss of a public servant 
in whom confidence was rightly placed. His record is an 
honor to his State and an enduring monument to his 
memory. 



[45] 



Address of Mr. Burton, of Ohio 

Mr. President: David Johnson Foster was a son of 
Vermont, a Commonwealth which has made notable con- 
tributions to the citizenship of this Republic. One of the 
least in area, and not far from the least in population, 
Vermont has afforded proof that for the birth of genius 
and patriotism neither fertile fields nor widespread plains 
are essential. These qualities live and flourish among the 
quarries and the mountains of Vcrmont. 

From Revolutionary times to the present day, when- 
ever the tocsin of alarm has sounded the call to arms, 
the men of Vermont have been ready to respond. When- 
ever there has been a call for a missionary or a teacher 
in some remote part of the earth, or wherever self-sacri- 
fice has been required, the women of Vermont have been 
ready to respond to the call. 

Mr, Foster was born in Caledonia County, in one of the 
most rocky portions of the State, and worked his own 
way through Dartmouth College. He enjoyed the educa- 
tional advantages afforded by that institution, the college 
which has furnished to the country Webster, Woodbury, 
Choate, Chase, and many other citizens of the highest 
rank and the greatest usefulness in many walks of life. 

His surroundings were essentially those of the country. 
The college which he attended is located in a small town, 
where there is an all-pervading university atmosphere. 
His early life was passed in the rural portion of Vermont, 
and although later he settled in a city of some consider- 
able size, nevertheless he did not enter upon the hurly- 
burly rush of American life which belongs to our great 
cities. 



[46] 



Address of Mr. Burton, of Ohio 



He early showed a predilection for a public career. He 
enjoyed that apprenticeship which, more than any other 
position, has been the initial step for a congressional 
career — the position of prosecuting attorney. He was 
afterwards a State senator in Vermont. 

I may say of liim, as one who served contemporane- 
ously with him in the House of Representatives, that he 
made a most favorable impression from the very begin- 
ning of his career in the House in the year 1900. In that 
body, where promotion is often slow, he showed the ster- 
ling qualities of honesty and of industry. With no bril- 
liant efforts in the way of oratory, he was a master of 
clear statement. He showed such a thorough understand- 
ing of the subjects upon which he spoke that he com- 
manded the respect, and I may say the admiration, of his 
fellow Members. 

At a rather early date he became a member of the Com- 
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and I take it his greatest inter- 
est during his service of 12 years was in our relations with 
foreign countries and in the cause of peace. 

Unfortunately his career was brought to a premature 
end. Such was his standing in his State that he no doubt 
would have been continued in the House of Representa- 
tives or in Congress to the very end of his life. Death 
came with startling suddenness. Even on the day of his 
death, I am told, it was thought he would soon recover 
from the illness which had detained him at home. He 
left a splendid record in the House. 

Mr. President, there is a feature of his career which is 
to me almost pathetic — that with his ambition to serve 
his country, with his fondness for public life, he was cut 
off in his prime. His family mourn his death, and I de- 
sire to give my tribute of sorrow and sympathy to his 
wife and daughters, and also my tribute to his memory. 



[47] 



Memohial Aodhesses: Representative Foster 

Along with all those Avho, serving well in any great 
cause, have been taken away before the work of life is 
done, he looked down, as it were, from the mountain 
heights upon the future with budding hopes, with confi- 
dence that in the future the work which he had been 
performing would bring still greater and better results, 
and that the causes for which he had labored might reach 
their glad fruition in his lifetime. But he was taken 
away from us, and we must mourn our loss. 

Notwithstanding that his career was cut short, he 
accomplished much that was useful. We may look to 
him for an example of devotion to public service, of 
honesty, of friendliness, of good will to all. 

Whatever maj^ be the rank or station of anyone whose 
death we call to mind, or w^hose life we commemorate, 
we judge of them as men. Judging of him by that 
standard, he was a model husband, a model father, and 
in all the varied walks of life he has left an example 
which it is inspiring to follow. 



[48] 



Address of Mr. Page, of Vermont 

Mr. President: Few men of this generation have been 
better types of those sons of Vermont who toughened into 
manhood on the hillside farm than David Johnson Foster. 

To what extent climatic conditions tend to produce 
exceptional intellectual strength it is difTicult to say, but 
it is an interesting study to observe the characteristics 
which are stamped upon men who have grown up in 
those mountainous regions of our Northern States, where 
the temperature reaches a point so low that the mercury 
congeals, and this is oftentimes the case in Caledonia 
County, where Congressman Foster was born. Few 
winters pass there in which the temperature does not fall 
to 42 degrees below zero. When to this is added the 
further fact that the boys and girls who grew up with 
Congressman Foster were obliged to break their own 
roads through the deep snows to the little red school- 
house, it is not unreasonable to believe that these severe 
endurance tests may, in some degree at least, account for 
the vigorous type of manhood which came from that sec- 
tion of the country. 

Congressman Foster was born on the 27th day of June, 
1857, upon his father's farm in Barnet, Vt. His early life 
was uneventful. He grew to early manhood amid those 
rugged natural surroundings and adverse conditions 
which developed in him that iron will, that indomitable 
pluck, and that sturdy self-reliance which are charac- 
teristics of those who are compelled to learn life's hard 
lessons through the toil and struggle necessary to over- 
come well-nigh insurmountable difficulties. 

93285°— 13 4 [49] 



Memorial Addresses: Representative Foster 

In the year 1880, at the age of 23, he graduated from 
Dartmouth College, and for a few years thereafter was, 
I believe, a teacher of rhetoric in that institution. 

During his college days he supplemented his slender 
income from father and friends by teaching school in 
winter and tutoring students in the lower classes of the 
college. It has been said that genius has an unlimited 
capacity for hard work. Measured by this standard, Con- 
gressman Foster had few superiors, for he was industry 
personified. 

He removed to Burlington, Vt., soon after his gradua- 
tion from Dartmouth College, and in 1883 was admitted 
to the bar. In 1886 he was made the prosecuting attorney 
of his county, an office which he continued to hold until 
1890. From 1892 to 1894 he was a member of the State 
senate. From 1894 to 1898 he was State commissioner of 
taxes. In 1898 he was made chairman of the board of 
railroad commissioners of Vermont, a position which he 
held until 1900, when he was elected a Member of Con- 
gress. 

Congressman Foster, by reason of his eminent abilities 
as a natural orator, was early called into public life. For 
many years he had been in constant demand in many of 
the States of the Union for service in political campaigns. 
He was the first president of the Young Men's Republican 
Club of Vermont. As a parliamentarian he ranked veiy 
high, and was often called to the chair by Speaker 
Cannon. 

Having once entered the political arena, he found little 
difficulty in reaching the goal of his ambition, as he 
passed from station to station up the line of political and 
official honors to membership in the National House of 
Representatives. 

It was probably as chairman of the Committee on For- 
eign Affairs of the National House of Representatives that 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Page, of Vermont 



Congressman Foster was able to perform his most impor- 
tant service to his country. He was appointed a mem- 
ber of that committee in 1901. In 1910 he was made its 
chairman, and from that time forward until his death he 
brought to the discharge of the duties of that office a 
measure of ability which made him an invaluable public 
servant. 

I do not think I wrongly estimate the attitude of 
Vermont toward Congressman Foster when I say that a 
large portion of the good people of the Green Mountain 
State had concerning him but one expectation, and that 
was that when there was a vacancy in the upper branch 
of Congress from the west side of the State he would 
be called upon to fill that vacancy. Vermont looked upon 
this favorite son as a genuine product of the rigorous life 
and environment which had given to our State her long 
line of distinguished men, who, like him, had been 
developed and nurtured on her cold, rocky hillside 
Vermont farms. They saw in his character those 
elements which they loved and appreciated, because he 
was of them in nature, in extraction, in industry, and 
in vigor. 

Congressman Foster's early life and training had 
developed a strength of character which made him equal 
to any and every emergency. President Taft named him 
as chairman of the delegation which represented this 
country at the Centennial of Mexican Independence, a 
commission the duties of which he discharged with credit 
to himself and honor to his country. President Taft also 
named him as chairman of the delegation from the 
United States to the general assembly of the International 
Institute of Agriculture at Rome. 

Wherever he was placed, whether as a representative 
of this country abroad or as the chairman of the impor- 
tant Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House, he 



[51] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Foster 

discharged the duties devolving upon him in such a way 
as to reflect credit upon himself and to create in the 
hearts of his constituents a just pride in their Repre- 
sentative. 

Few men possessed his power of attracting to them- 
selves the young men of their acquaintance. He was 
universally popular, but with the younger element of his 
district he was exceptionally so. Always genial, always 
meeting everyone with a smile, always zealously anxious 
to serve everyone by little acts of kindness, always 
faithful in the discharge of every trust reposed in him 
by his constituents in matters here in Washington, he had 
come to be — as he deserved to be — one of the most 
popular and best beloved of all the sons of his State. 

Modest, unassuming, kind, with an irresistible personal 
charm which drew his fellow men to him, he was the 
perfect embodiment of courtesy and gentleness, wdiich, 
coupled with a broad mind, a large heart, and an amiable 
and lovable disposition, resulted in producing a combina- 
tion of qualities rarely found in a single individual. 

It was a part of my duty to go to Vermont, in advance 
of the joint committee from the Senate and House ap- 
pointed to attend the funeral, to help in arranging its 
details, and I shall never forget the genuine, heartfelt 
grief manifested by every Vermonter with whom I came 
in contact while on this sad errand. On every hand was 
heard the expression: "Vermont has suffered an irrep- 
arable loss." 

From all parts of the State, not alone from his own 
congressional district, the people gathered, in numbers 
larger than are wont to be present on such occasions, to 
show their respect and their affection for Congressman 
Foster. 

We often hear the remark made that the true test of a 
man's character is his home life. It was my great good 

[52] 



Address of Mr. Page, of Vermont 



fortune to visit Congressman Foster at his home here in 
Washington on repeated occasions, and I was always 
deeply impressed with the affectionate regard in which 
the father was held by the three daughters and the 
mother, who, with the father, constituted the family. 

His last illness was not believed to be serious until the 
day of his death. It was my custom to telephone Mrs. 
Foster at their home and inquire as to his health, and, 
without a single exception, the reply came back to me: 
" He is not seriously ill; he is tired and needs a little time 
for recuperation. He will soon be back in the House." 
Little did she realize that in a few hours this strong man 
was to be stricken down by the grim reaper. 

On March 21 of last year, at a time when life and hope 
were brightest and when honors were falling thickest 
upon him, he was called home. 

One might be inclined to question the wisdom of divine 
Providence in removing from such a family a father so 
richly endowed, and to assert that there were few men 
who might not have been better spared than this strong, 
charming personality^ who had achieved such a command- 
ing position in the affairs of his State and in the councils 
of the Nation. Why he should have been thus suddenly 
stricken down and his country deprived of his trained 
leadership, at a time when all his powers were flowering 
into their most perfect bloom, is a question which it is not 
given human intelligence to answer. 

Mr. President, I realize only too well that I have been 
able to touch far too lightly upon a life whose fullness and 
beauty furnishes material from which could have been 
formulated so much of good. But when the future histo- 
rian, in the light of a true perspective, shall come to write 
with deliberation and painstaking care a record of the 
strong and virile statesmen who have played their parts 
in the national field of legislation during the first decade 



[53] 



Memorial Addresses : Representative Foster 

of the twentieth centur}% his account will be far from 
complete if it fails to include therein in liberal measure 
the part played in important public affairs by David 
Johnson Foster. 

To the long line of Vermont's illustrious dead whose 
names hold places of honor in our Nation's history, and 
especially the names of those sons w^ho have been promi- 
nent in the Nation's councils here in Washington during 
the last threescore years, to the names of Collamer, Foote, 
Morrill, Proctor, Ave now add the name of Foster. 

They had lived longer than he and were garnered like 
sheaves of ripened wheat in their old age and after long 
years of distinguished public service, while he was cut 
down at the zenith of his vigorous manhood. Their mem- 
ories are revered and venerated by Vermonters every- 
where, but none of them were more dearly beloved by an 
appreciative constituency than the one to whose name 
we to-day pay our tribute of respect, David Johnson 
Foster. 






[54] 



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